Aspen Gold Foam Salmonfly Dry
by @dekasso
Foam Salmonfly · Dry fly
Orange bug against gold autumn banks
A size 6 foam salmonfly dry in orange, tan and brown, with barred rubber legs, for trout on freestone rivers during the salmonfly hatch.
A big foam salmonfly dry with a segmented orange back, a long tan elk hair wing and barred legs. It is tied in orange foam over rust dubbing, with brown hackle and a yellow foam spot on top.
- Pattern
- Foam Salmonfly
- Imitates
- Salmonfly hatch, typically late spring into early summer on freestone rivers
- Hook
- size 6
- Tippet
- 2Xrule of three
- Size 6 dry for the salmonfly hatch
- Two-layer orange foam body floats high
- Natural elk hair wing past the bend
- Barred orange and black rubber legs
- Yellow foam spot for easy sighting
On the water
Orange foam sits in two plump segments over rust dubbing. A long fan of tan elk hair sweeps back past the bend, brown hackle bristles at the shoulder, and black-and-orange legs splay out like the real bug. A small yellow dot of foam rides on top.
Slap it tight to the willows and grassy banks where the big stoneflies tumble in. Let it drift dead along the seam, then give it a short twitch so the legs kick. The foam keeps it riding high through choppy riffles and pocket water.
Foam segmentation is the part to get right. Bind the strip down with firm thread wraps at even spacing, so each segment puffs up the same and the back looks like a body, not a lump.
Rigging
- Tippet
- 2Xhook size divided by three
- Leader
- Nine feet, tapered — longer and finer in flat water
- Use 2X or 3X tippet; the wing and legs can twist lighter leaders on the cast.
- Land it with a gentle splat close to the bank and let it drift drag-free.
- Add a short twitch mid-drift to make the rubber legs kick.
Where and when
- Water
- Yellowstone River, Paradise Valley, Montana
- Hatch
- Salmonfly hatch, typically late spring into early summer on freestone rivers
- Target
- brown trout, rainbow trout, cutthroat trout
- Water type
- Freestone riffles, grassy banks and pocket water
- Also fishes
- Fishes well as a hopper stand-in through late summer, and as a buoyant top fly holding up a dropper nymph.
Also on this water
- SalmonflyJun–Jul
- Yellow SallyJul–Aug
- Mother's Day CaddisApr–May
Fished out of Livingston, Gardiner and Emigrant.
Make it yourself
Intermediate6 materials · 12 steps
- Pattern
- Foam Salmonfly
- Style
- Dry fly
- Hook
- Tiemco 5212size 6
- Thread
- UTC 140 denier orange
Materials in the order they go on the hook
- Underbodyrust orange dubbing
- Bodyorange closed-cell foam 2 mm
- Legsorange and black barred rubber legs
- Wingnatural elk hair
- Hacklebrown saddle hackle
- Headyellow foam
Details
- Imitates
- Salmonfly
- Colors
- orange, tan, brown, yellow, black
How to tie it
The steps, from first wrap to whip finish (12)
- Mount the hook and start the orange thread at the hook point, wrapping back to the bend.
- Dub a slim rust orange underbody from the bend forward to two-thirds of the shank.
- Cut an orange foam strip about the hook gap wide and taper one end.
- Tie the foam in at the bend so a short tab overhangs, then bind it forward in two even segments.
- Tie in a pair of barred rubber legs on each side at the rear segment, angled back.
- Stack a clump of elk hair and tie it on top at the two-thirds point, tips reaching just past the bend.
- Tie in a brown saddle hackle at the wing base and dub a little rust orange over the thorax.
- Palmer the hackle forward in four or five open turns and tie it off.
- Fold the foam forward to form the front segment and tie it down behind the eye.
- Add a second pair of barred legs at the front tie-down point.
- Tie a small square of yellow foam on top of the front tie-down.
- Whip finish under the foam and trim the legs to length.
Proportions (4)
- Foam strip about as wide as the hook gap.
- Wing tips reach just past the bend of the hook.
- Hackle fibres about one and a half times the hook gap.
- Rear legs reach roughly half a shank length behind the bend.
Tips (3)
- Stack the elk hair well so the tips line up into a clean fan.
- Keep thread tension firm at each foam segment so they puff evenly.
- Trim the yellow foam to a small square so it sights well without catching wind.
Common mistakes (3)
- Cutting through the foam with too much tension; use firm, not crushing, wraps.
- Crowding the eye with foam and hair; leave a clear head space for the final tie-down.
- Legs pointing straight out; angle them back so they kick on the drift.
Every kit size
Materials only
Size 6 · Materials only · 12 flies
$56.65
$4.72 a fly
Includes Tiemco 5212 · and 9 more
Every item in this kit · 10 items
Hooks & beads
- Tiemco 5212$6.50
Thread & wire
- UTC 140 denier orange thread$2.95
Materials
- Rust orange dubbing$4.50
- Orange closed-cell foam 2 mm$7.90
- Orange and black barred rubber legs$3.50
- Natural elk hair$5.50
- Brown saddle hackle$11.95
- Yellow foam$7.90
Finishing
- Head cement$5.95
Guide
- Printed recipe and tying stepsIncluded
Size 6 · Materials only · 48 flies
$157.84
$3.29 a fly
Bought separately $166.15 · you save $8.31
Includes Tiemco 5212 · and 9 more
Every item in this kit · 10 items
Hooks & beads
- Tiemco 5212$13
Thread & wire
- UTC 140 denier orange thread$5.90
Materials
- Rust orange dubbing$18
- Orange closed-cell foam 2 mm$19.75
- Orange and black barred rubber legs$14
- Natural elk hair$22
- Brown saddle hackle$47.80
- Yellow foam$19.75
Finishing
- Head cement$5.95
Guide
- Printed recipe and tying stepsIncluded
Size 6 · Materials only · 144 flies
$400.88
$2.78 a fly
Bought separately $455.55 · you save $54.67
Includes Tiemco 5212 · and 9 more
Every item in this kit · 10 items
Hooks & beads
- Tiemco 5212$35
Thread & wire
- UTC 140 denier orange thread$17.70
Materials
- Rust orange dubbing$45
- Orange closed-cell foam 2 mm$59.25
- Orange and black barred rubber legs$35
- Natural elk hair$55
- Brown saddle hackle$143.40
- Yellow foam$59.25
Finishing
- Head cement$5.95
Guide
- Printed recipe and tying stepsIncluded
With vise & tools
Size 6 · With vise & tools · 12 flies
$206.65
$17.22 a fly
Includes Tiemco 5212 · and 18 more
Every item in this kit · 19 items
Hooks & beads
- Tiemco 5212$6.50
Thread & wire
- UTC 140 denier orange thread$2.95
Materials
- Rust orange dubbing$4.50
- Orange closed-cell foam 2 mm$7.90
- Orange and black barred rubber legs$3.50
- Natural elk hair$5.50
- Brown saddle hackle$11.95
- Yellow foam$7.90
Finishing
- Head cement$5.95
Tools
- Rotary pedestal vise$79
- Ceramic bobbin$14
- Fine-point scissors$16
- Whip finisher$9
- Hackle pliers$7
- Bodkin$5
- Bobbin threader$4
- Dubbing wax$4
- Canvas tool roll$12
Guide
- Printed recipe and tying stepsIncluded
Size 6 · With vise & tools · 48 flies
$300.34
$6.26 a fly
Bought separately $316.15 · you save $15.81
Includes Tiemco 5212 · and 18 more
Every item in this kit · 19 items
Hooks & beads
- Tiemco 5212$13
Thread & wire
- UTC 140 denier orange thread$5.90
Materials
- Rust orange dubbing$18
- Orange closed-cell foam 2 mm$19.75
- Orange and black barred rubber legs$14
- Natural elk hair$22
- Brown saddle hackle$47.80
- Yellow foam$19.75
Finishing
- Head cement$5.95
Tools
- Rotary pedestal vise$79
- Ceramic bobbin$14
- Fine-point scissors$16
- Whip finisher$9
- Hackle pliers$7
- Bodkin$5
- Bobbin threader$4
- Dubbing wax$4
- Canvas tool roll$12
Guide
- Printed recipe and tying stepsIncluded
Size 6 · With vise & tools · 144 flies
$532.88
$3.70 a fly
Bought separately $605.55 · you save $72.67
Includes Tiemco 5212 · and 18 more
Every item in this kit · 19 items
Hooks & beads
- Tiemco 5212$35
Thread & wire
- UTC 140 denier orange thread$17.70
Materials
- Rust orange dubbing$45
- Orange closed-cell foam 2 mm$59.25
- Orange and black barred rubber legs$35
- Natural elk hair$55
- Brown saddle hackle$143.40
- Yellow foam$59.25
Finishing
- Head cement$5.95
Tools
- Rotary pedestal vise$79
- Ceramic bobbin$14
- Fine-point scissors$16
- Whip finisher$9
- Hackle pliers$7
- Bodkin$5
- Bobbin threader$4
- Dubbing wax$4
- Canvas tool roll$12
Guide
- Printed recipe and tying stepsIncluded
The creator
Remixes
No remixes yet — make your own version.
Where this came from
fly pattern · made
0 — nothing entered the score yet, at the Derby's published weights, since . Views are not counted.
- salmonfly
- foam
- dry fly
- stonefly
- orange
- elk hair
- rubber legs
- trout
- freestone
- big bug